We have added several new series about current issues to our collection. These books should help with any argumentative papers you need to write!
Check out the titles below: Continue reading Current Issues Series
Current Issues Series
Category Archives: Schools
New Children’s Books for January
I Have a Balloon by Ariel Bernstein; Scott Magoon (Illustrator)
Owl has a red balloon. Monkey does not. “That red balloon matches my shiny red tie,” says Monkey. “I’d look fancy walking to school with a shiny red balloon. The only thing I’ve ever wanted, since right now, is a shiny, big red balloon. It would make me SO HAPPY!” But Owl does not want to give it to him. So Monkey tries to find something that Owl wants: a teddy bear, a robot, a picture of TEN balloons. Owl does not want any of these things. But then, Monkey offers him…a sock! Hmmmmm…Owl is intrigued. Will he trade his shiny red balloon with Monkey? Hint: this is not a book about sharing.
Birds by Bridget Heos; David Clark (Illustrator)
What animals compose music, decorate their homes, weave, and even give gifts? BIRDS! While they may eat bugs and lay eggs, we actually have a lot in common with these winged creatures. From their parenting to their homemaking, their fishing to their dancing, birds do have lots in common with people–though with fascinating twists all their own. Factual and funny–and featuring a dynamic mix of photographs and cartoon illustrations–Just Like Us! Birds will charm even the most reluctant nonfiction readers.
Read the Book, Lemmings! by Ame Dyckman; Zacharia OHora (Illustrator)
The team behind the New York Times bestselling Wolfie the Bunny and Horrible Bear! is back with with new Arctic characters in this hilarious learning-to-read adventure! Aboard the S.S. Cliff, First Mate Foxy reads an interesting fact: “Lemmings don’t jump off cliffs.” But Foxy can’t get the lemmings on the Cliff to read his book, too. They’re too busy jumping off. After a chilly third rescue, exasperated Foxy and grumbly polar bear Captain PB realize their naughty nautical crew isn’t being stubborn: The lemmings (Jumper, Me Too, and Ditto) can’t read. And until Foxy patiently teaches his lemmings to read the book, he can’t return to reading it, either!
I Want That Nut! by Madeline Valentine
A nutty and clever buddy story that celebrates cooperation, perfect for fans of Duck and Goose. Meet Mouse and Chipmunk, two young rodents who want the same thing–a big, beautiful nut! But who deserves it more? After all, Chipmunk and the Nut read together and lie in the grass and stare at the clouds. Chipmunk wants that nut! And Mouse and the Nut play tic-tac-toe and have a dance party together. Mouse also wants that nut! But then Squirrel comes along and claims the Nut for his own. What’s a rodent to do?
Robinson by Peter Sís
A boy who loves adventure. A mysterious solo journey. A remote island wilderness. Cast away in this beautiful dreamlike story and discover what surprises await. Peter blends a true story from his childhood with the fictional adventure of Robinson Crusoe to create a magical picture book filled with heart and imagination that readers will want to return to again and again.
New Children’s Books for December
Catch My Breath by Paul Briggs
Breath… it inspires so many silly sayings: Let me catch my breath. You take my breath away. I need a breath of fresh air. And how did little white flowers come to be known as Baby’s Breath? Breath is a mystery in more ways than one. And this story is all about breath: losing it, trying to find it, even trying to buy it. In the imagination of Paul Briggs, a boy’s breath becomes personified, and it zooms away through farm, forest, and sea, returning only when the boy least expects it.
Hilda and the Runaway Baby by Daisy Hirst
In her truly authentic and original voice, Daisy Hirst introduces two endearing, unforgettable new characters — and a friendship like no other. Hilda the pig lives in a small tin house at the foot of a hill. Life is peaceful, if a bit uneventful, and she is always exactly where she expects herself to be. At the top of the hill lives a curious baby who is never where people expect him to be, which is why he is known as the Runaway Baby. When a chance escape in his stroller brings the Runaway Baby zooming full-speed toward Hilda, their worlds collide, and the beginnings of an unlikely friendship promise to make Hilda’s life a little less quiet and a lot more interesting.
Pine and Boof: The Lucky Leaf by Ross Burach
One blustery day, Boof the bear’s lucky red leaf gets swept away by the wind. Fortunately for him, Pine the porcupine just happens to walk by with his lucky compass–and the two set off on an adventure to find the lost leaf, only to discover true friendship in the process. In a tale both silly and sweet, Pine & Boof: The Lucky Leaf tells the story of an unlikely friendship through highly original characters and vibrant illustrations that are impossible not to love.
The Nantucket Sea Monster by Darcy Pattison and Peter Willis
Do you believe everything you read in the newspaper? Early in August 1937, a news flash came: a sea monster had been spotted lurking off the shore of Nantucket Island. Historically, the Massachusetts island had served as port for whaling ships. Eyewitnesses swore this wasn’t a whale, but some new, fearsome creature. As eyewitness account piled up, newspaper stories of the sea monster spread quickly. Across the nation, people shivered in fear.Then, footprints were found on a Nantucket beach. Photographs were sent to prominent biologists for their opinion. Discussion swirled about raising a hunting party. On August 18, news spread across the island: the sea monster had been captured. Islanders ran to the beach and couldn’t believe their eyes. This nonfiction picture book is a perfect tool to discuss non-political fake news stories.
William’s Winter Nap by Linda Ashman and Chuck Groenink
Just when William is ready to fall asleep in his cozy cabin, there is a tap on his window. A chilly chipmunk asks to stay, and Will scooches over in bed. “There’s room for two–I’m sure we’ll fit.” The chipmunk is just the first in a parade of mammals, each bigger than the last, until the bed is full. Then a note is slipped beneath the door: “Do you have room for just one more?” William tugs the door to see who’s there . . . only to find a great big BEAR! Is there enough space to spare? Will the other animals be willing to share? Kids will delight at each new guest’s arrival and enjoy counting along as the animals keep scooching over to fit in William’s bed. Linda Ashman’s clever rhymes set up each page turn with suspense and humor, and the expressions on Chuck Groenink’s characters are perfect. This is must reading for the dark time of year when everyone wants to hibernate!
The How Not to Die Cookbook
Title: The How Not to Die Cookbook
Author: Michael Greger
Call #: RA 784 .G7585 2017
Click here for synopsis and reviews
The Second Decade
Raising Kids to be Happy, Self-Sufficient Adults through Work
By Eugene M. Helveston
Call Number: HQ799.15 .H45 2016
View in IvyCat
“The Second Decade” offers a game plan for navigating two of the most important challenges facing today’s youth: gaining academic skills through a quality education at school, and acquiring practical skills learned by working at a job. Exposing youth to the benefits of work — earning money and gaining independence while taking on responsibility and embracing accountability — adds valuable lessons to what is already being offered at home and in school, and will lead them to happiness and self-sufficiency.
Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide
The Essential Job Search Handbook for Service Members
By Janet I. Farley
Call Number: HF5384 .F37 2010
View in IvyCat
This handbook provides a career transition framework for service members and their families. Readers are given exit strategies for gracefully leaving the military; charts, checklists, and worksheets for planning each transition aspect; resume and cover letter samples and strategies; and interviewing and salary negotiation tips. The author also shares advice for surviving the first month on the new job and beyond. This enhanced edition includes a chapter on how to land a federal job, tips for online networking; a directory of online transition tools; and information on employment and retraining options for disabled veterans. An essential roadmap for transitioning service members and their families, this eye-opening guide addresses the entire transition process and includes the family perspective with it.
The Smear
How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote
By Sharyl Attkisson
Call Number: PN4888.C6 A85 2017
View in IvyCat
Behind most major political stories there is an agenda: To destroy an idea or the people advancing it. Maybe you watched someone on the news report that Donald Trump is a racist misogynist, read that Hillary Clinton used a body double, or heard that Bernie Sanders cheated in the primary. Regardless of accuracy, the themes get repeated until they become accepted by many as the truth. It’s called “the smear.” Sophisticated operatives work behind the scenes to establish narratives, manipulate journalists, and shape the images you see every day. Nothing is by accident. Now investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson takes you behind the scenes of the modern smear machine, exploring how operatives from corporations and both sides of the political aisle have manipulated a complicit mainstream media to make disinformation, rumor, and dirty tricks defining traits of our democracy. Pulling back the curtain on the shady world of opposition research, she reveals how those in power create well-funded, organized attack campaigns to take down their enemies and influence your opinions, offering an examination of the think tanks, super PACS, LLCs, and nonprofits that have become the hidden backers of some of the biggest smears in American politics. And she doesn’t just tell stories — she names names, sharing her account of how smears take shape and who their perpetrators are — from Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal to liberal political operative David Brock, who, along with his expansive Media Matters for America empire, has been rewriting the rules of the smear game for decades while raking in millions of dollars in generous compensation. In addition, Attkisson reveals transactional journalism and exposes scandalous emails behind the smear industrial complex, showing how Campaign 2016 became the exclamation point on the thirty-year evolution of the smear machine. Dissecting the most divisive, partisan election in American history, she explores how both sides used every smear tactic as a political weapon, culminating in Donald Trump’s hard-fought victory, even as his detractors have continued their smears against him into the Oval Office. What emerges is an assault on the mainstream media’s willingness to sacrifice ethics for clicks, and the cynical politicians and high-paid consultants who exploit this reality. A critical discussion for this perilous moment, The Smear is a look at how the black market serving professional propagandists really works.
Everybody Lies
Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us about Who We Really Are
By Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
Call Number: QA76.9.D343 S685155 2017
View in IvyCat
A former Google data scientist presents an insider’s look at what the vast, instantly available amounts of information from the Internet can reveal about human civilization and society.
How much sex are people really having? How many Americans are actually racist? Is America experiencing a hidden back-alley abortion crisis? Can you game the stock market? Does violent entertainment increase the rate of violent crime? Do parents treat sons differently from daughters? How many people actually read the books they buy? In this groundbreaking work, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a Harvard-trained economist, former Google data scientist, and New York Times writer, argues that much of what we thought about people has been dead wrong. The reason? People lie, to friends, lovers, doctors, surveys–and themselves. However, we no longer need to rely on what people tell us. New data from the internet–the traces of information that billions of people leave on Google, social media, dating, and even pornography sites–finally reveals the truth. By analyzing this digital goldmine, we can now learn what people really think, what they really want, and what they really do. Sometimes the new data will make you laugh out loud. Sometimes the new data will shock you. Sometimes the new data will deeply disturb you. But, always, this new data will make you think. This book will change the way you view the world. There is almost no limit to what can be learned about human nature from Big Data–provided, that is, you ask the right questions.
Evicted
Poverty and Profit in the American City
By Matthew Desmond
Call Number: HD7287.96.U6 D47 2016
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The author takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge. Arleen is a single mother trying to raise her two sons on the 20 dollars a month she has left after paying for their rundown apartment. Scott is a gentle nurse consumed by a heroin addiction. Lamar, a man with no legs and a neighborhood full of boys to look after, tries to work his way out of debt. Vanetta participates in a botched stickup after her hours are cut. All are spending almost everything they have on rent, and all have fallen behind. The fates of these families are in the hands of two landlords: Sherrena Tarver, a former schoolteacher turned inner-city entrepreneur, and Tobin Charney, who runs one of the worst trailer parks in Milwaukee. They loathe some of their tenants and are fond of others, but as Sherrena puts it, “Love don’t pay the bills.” She moves to evict Arleen and her boys a few days before Christmas. Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. But today, most poor renting families are spending more than half of their income on housing, and eviction has become ordinary, especially for single mothers. In vivid, intimate prose, Desmond provides a ground-level view of one of the most urgent issues facing America today. As we see families forced into shelters, squalid apartments, or more dangerous neighborhoods, we bear witness to the human cost of America’s vast inequality– and to people’s determination and intelligence in the face of hardship. Based on years of embedded fieldwork and painstakingly gathered data, this masterful book transforms our understanding of extreme poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving a devastating, uniquely American problem. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.
High Performance Habits
How Extraordinary People Become That Way
By Brendon Burchard
Call Number: BF637.S4 B867 2017
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Twenty years ago, author Brendon Burchard became obsessed with answering three questions:
- Why do some individuals and teams succeed more quickly than others and sustain that success over the long term?
- Of those who pull it off, why are some miserable and others consistently happy on their journey?
- What motivates people to reach for higher levels of success in the first place, and what practices help them improve the most?
After extensive original research and a decade as the world’s leading high performance coach, Burchard found the answers. It turns out that just six deliberate habits give you the edge. Anyone can practice these habits and, when they do, extraordinary things happen in their lives, relationships, and careers. Which habits can help you achieve long-term success and vibrant well-being no matter your age, career, strengths, or personality? To become a high performer, you must seek clarity, generate energy, raise necessity, increase productivity, develop influence, and demonstrate courage. This book is about the art and science of how to cultivate and practice these proven habits. Whether you want to get more done, lead others better, develop skill faster, or dramatically increase your sense of joy and confidence, the habits in this book will help you achieve it faster. Each of the six habits is illustrated by powerful vignettes, cutting-edge science, thought-provoking exercises, and real-world daily practices you can implement right now. If you’ve ever wanted a science-backed, heart-centered plan to living a better quality of life, it’s in your hands. Best of all, you can measure your progress. A link to a free professional assessment is included in the book.
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